Monday, October 9, 2017

NECTAR Mattress Review

In Greek Mythology, "Nectar" referred to a drink that gave you energy, life . . . perhaps even immortality! Does that mean that if you sleep on a NECTAR mattress you will be filled with life and energy? Read on to find out!!!

Watch my video review here, or read on for more details!
Mobile user? Click Here to watch the video directly on YouTube.

I was glad to be able to review the Nectar Mattress recently! If you Google the Nectar mattress (see their web site here; you can also check it out on Amazon), you will see several references to "The most comfortable mattress" -- it is in their marketing material, after all. Well, is it? Let's find out.

A queen-size Nectar Mattress
First, the Nectar has a very nice cover that's made from a mix of cotton and tencel. It has a pattern of
several squares (approximately one foot square each). It's flat, and by now you likely know that I prefer a mattress with a flat top! (It lets the layers do what they are supposed to do). The cover has a welcoming feel and is removable. There is an inch of gel memory foam right below this (it's kinda sorta attached to the cover).

Below that is a gel memory foam layer that is a 1" thick layer of lush gel foam, then a "hi-core" memory foam layer 3" thick that seems to give it a bit of that traditional memory-foam feel. (Note: I have seen other reviews where they state that the 1" layer and the 3" layer were swapped, but on mine I'm pretty sure that the 1" layer was above the 3" layer.)

Lastly is a layer of base foam that's mainly just to provide stability and something for the other layers to rest on. The total thickness is 11" regardless of the size (Twin, Queen, King, etc).

The Nectar only comes in one firmness level, there is no "soft, medium, firm" to choose from. On their web site, they describe it as "medium firm," with a chart showing that it is in the range of 5.5 to 7.5 (on a 10 point scale of firmness, with 10 being the most firm). While I would generally concur with this description, I think that if you sleep on your side mainly, it would feel to be about a 6, andif you sleep on your back, more like a 7.

I slept on a queen-size Nectar for 10 nights. Having said that . . .



HOW MANY STARS?


I will rate each category on a 5-Star Scale, where 5 is the best.


Construction: 4.5 stars

No complaints on the construction (see unboxing video HERE). Everything seemed to be in the right place, and no loose threads. It comes shipped in a big roll -- like a large tent might come in -- with handles, unlike the traditional cardboard box that most direct-to-consumer mattresses come in. Maybe this is a good place to mention something that I found to be funny -- the web site says it will come in a "reusable bag" -- what exactly am I supposed to reuse it for? Definitely not getting the mattress back in there! I suppose you could use it for putting leaves in, a bag for playing Santa, etc. It doesn't hurt anything, but seems odd to mention the bag's "reusability" on their site. :)

Noise: 5 stars


There is no noise. None.


Smell: 4.25 stars


Like most mattresses that come compressed and rolled up, there was a little bit of odor that I refer to as "new mattress smell." It wasn't excessive, and I slept on it the first night no problem. The smell was gone around day 3 or 4. I was fine with it.


Feel: 3.5 stars

The cover has a nice, soft, feel.
Soft & Pliable on top

Feel is so subjective -- I feel kind of bad giving a less-than-great score here because I know other people might love the feel. Having said that, this mattress is so non-bouncy that it actually takes some getting used to. If you've slept on a bed before with a 100% memory-foam feel before, this will probably not be an issue. But for me, but as someone who (historically) has slept on hybrid or innerspring mattresses, it took some getting used to. As you can see in my video, there is a "thud" if you fall into the mattress -- I'm not commenting on firmness at this moment (there is some give) -- just on responsiveness.

The best way I can describe it is that it feels like the top layer is a soft bag of sand.

It does conform to your body (nicely), but it's kind of like a stress ball. I didn't sink in too much, I didn't get stuck, it's just a unique feeling. Soft, nice, but somewhat "sand-like." Not quick sand, but like laying on a white-sand beach sand.



Motion Transfer: 5 stars


I can't imagine a better mattress for motion transfer. There might be one, but I don't know what it is.

I would strongly recommend the mattress if you share your bed with someone who disturbs your sleep (or maybe you are the "disturber!") Looking only at this one aspect, the Nectar dominates here. Even with a large weight disparity, I think you'd be OK here. I weight quite a bit more than my wife, and we didn't disturb each other.


Support: 4.0 stars


"Support" does not mean the same thing as firmness. This gets into tricky-to-describe territory, but means things like keeping your spine in alignment; does the firmness feel even, as opposed to lumpy or firm in spots without being firm in other spots? Do you sink in too much and "overcome" the top couple inches? This is always subjective. I am a back sleeper primarily but also sleep on my side some.

I had a real hard time judging and describing support for the Nectar. In some ways I liked it, and in some ways I didn't like it. I liked the initial feel of support when I first get in bed. The only perceived drawback was that it wasn't quite responsive enough to handle my butt differently than my shoulders. I think my butt should sink in a little more than the shoulders (like many adult men, I'm heaviest around the middle), but it doesn't seem it did. I think that's because the top 2 layers (both a type of gel memory foam) are not quite thick enough to allow a "deep response" and then the transition foam is pushing up preventing the butt from sinking in. I only noticed this on my back, and not my side. I also think a lighter sleeper wouldn't even notice this. This is only a theory, but it's partially supported by the fact that my wife didn't notice this.

Nectar might be a little better for side sleepers than back sleepers, and a little better for those under 200 lbs rather than those over 200 pounds -- that's not to say it can't handle 200+ pound back sleepers; it sure can. Their web site describes it as "the support of a firm mattress with the comfort of a pillow-top" -- that's an apt description.

The edge support when sitting on the edge is "OK," but not great (see my video). However, I don't expect great edge support with an all-foam mattress.



Pressure Point Relief: 4.5 stars


Very good! Nothing felt pinched or ouchy. It filled the space in the small of my back nicely. If you are very lightweight (ie, under 110 pounds) you may not experience as much pressure point relief.


Conformity: 4.25 stars


What am I looking for in conformity? I want something that feels firm where it's supposed to feel firm, and soft where it's supposed to feel soft. That's a tall order (or a $5,000+ mattress), but let's at least get as close as we can. I want something that conforms to my body locally, but not globally. In other words, I want to sink into my mattress just a bit -- maybe an inch or two, but I don't want a giant valley to be formed while the mattress tries to accommodate my whole body.


As I mentioned in the "support" section above, my mid-section didn't sink in quite as much as I would I would have preferred, but that's me splinting hairs. There was no giant valley, and there was enough "localness" to the sink as to not reach all the way over to my wife's side.


Customer Service: 3.5 stars

This is a hard one to grade, because I have only 2nd hand or 3rd hand reports to go off of. Nectar is in very high demand, so it must be doing something right! Along with that, however, are some major shipping delays. Their web site (as of the date of this publishing) is stating about a 5 day time frame from when the order is placed until the mattress is shipped. However, I've read many reports that some people are getting their Nectar more like 2-3 weeks after the order date (not everyone). I would not order Nectar if your have a hard-and-fast requirement to have your bed in less than a week. If you know this going in, it should not be an issue.

I'm also aware that their mattress is manufactured in China (it says so right on the tag), but warehoused in the USA (Washington state). That's not an issue to me, but I'm aware that it is for some. I just wanted to be up front about that. This might be part of the reason for the shipping delays, when they get a lot of demand (and they do!) they have to wait for the next boat from China.

If I hear reports of the shipping time improving, I would revise my rating.

Shipping:


I don't give a star-rating to shipping, but shipping is free. It is delivered by UPS, FedEx, etc. It comes in a large roll, compressed. There is no cost to you if you decide to return it during the trial period.


Other info worth mentioning:

Let's talk about the warranty -- it's a "Forever" Warranty. You can read the details on the Nectar web site, but I'll summarize here -- for the first 10 years, if there is a material / workmanship defect, they will replace the mattress (this includes indentations of 1.5 inches or more -- which is very standard in the mattress industry). For years 10+, they will either replace OR repair the mattress at the company's discretion.

There is also an option in years 10+ to simply choose a new mattress at 50% of the price of a new Nectar is there is a dispute.

OK, so the "Forever Warranty" has some limits, but it's still pretty good!!!

Even more impressive is the 365 day trial period! To me, this is the biggest selling point. If you don't like it 11 months in, you can get your money back!!!



OVERALL SCORE:



4.27 stars

(out of 5)




Summary:


PROS:

- Very good pressure point relief

- Almost no motion transfer

- Would be good for couples who tend to disturb each other

- Good feel to the cover

- 365 night no-risk trial period with free shipping

- A very reasonable price point


CONS:

- If you are over 200 pounds, have a big butt, and sleep mostly on your back, it may not be the best fit

- If you want a "bouncy" feel, you won't like it

- Shipping times (at current) seem to be running 2-3 weeks.


Final Thoughts:


This is the ultimate "low risk" mattress. If you try it out and don't like it . . . who cares?!? You're not out anything as long as you turn it in within the first YEAR! (I mean, as long as you don't destroy it, of course! Use a good mattress protector!). While it is an all-foam mattress, it's not something you're going to get "stuck" in. One of the most compelling choices in the world of all-foam direct-to-consumer mattresses.

Click here if you are considering a purchase of the Nectar! -- You can also look it up and/or buy it on Amazon.com!

Prices & Info:

If you decide to try out a Nectar, I would really appreciate it if you use one of the links on this page, as it helps out my blog and YouTube channel just a bit!


Nectar has been offering the two free pillows and $125 discount for a while now (I've seen it for at least the last several months). There is no code needed, it's automatically included at checkout.

The prices below first list the "raw price," and then the net price after the discount.


Twin: $524 [$399]

Twin XL: $594 [$469]

Full: $724 [$599]

Queen: $824 [$699]

King or Cal King: $1024 [$899]


(Note: Prices were updated as of 01/02/2019. Always check prices on the manufacturer's web site as prices can change.)


What do you think? Feel free to share any comments! If you have questions, feel free to ask and I will try my best to answer.

I really like the way the Nectar Mattress looks from this angle.



I was provided with a Nectar mattress in exchange for my review. If you use one of my links to get to the Nectar website, and subsequently buy (and keep!) the mattress, I earn a small referral fee which helps to support this blog and my YouTube channel. In addition, other links on this blog are considered to be "affiliate links" (such as the links to products through Amazon) and I am paid a small referral fee if you click one of these links and subsequently make a purchase. This costs you nothing. All opinions are my personal reviews and preferences, and do not represent the opinion of any particular company. Thanks for your consideration.